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SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC STUDIES OF THE CORNEAL ENDOTHELIUM IN MAN AND MONKEYS
Author(s) -
SVEDBERGH BJÖRN,
BILL ANDERS
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.1972.tb05955.x
Subject(s) - cilium , trabecular meshwork , anatomy , corneal endothelium , cornea , electron microscope , vesicle , chemistry , hexagonal crystal system , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , glaucoma , optics , physics , crystallography , biochemistry , neuroscience , membrane
The inside of the cornea from human and monkey eyes was investigated with scanning electron microscopy. In man, four zones can be distinguished. Zone I includes most of the cornea. The cells are usually hexagonal, occasionally pentagonal. The cells overlap to a great extent and the nuclei cause low, flat bulges. Few cells have cilia. Drop‐like structures and pits are scattered over the cell surface and probably represent microvilli and openings into pinocytotic vesicles, respectively. The cell borders show much interdigitation and occasional cells have stick‐like structures bridging over the border. Zone II is 500–1000 μm wide. There is less overlapping of the cells and about 50% have a 2–7 μm long central cilium. A few cells have 2–4 cilia. The nuclei bulge less than in Zone I. Zone III is about 50–150 pm wide. In adult human eyes it has an irregular surface due to the presence of Hassall‐Henle's warts. Some cells have cilia. Zone IV lies between Zone III and the trabecular meshwork. It is about 50–100 μm wide and has no warts. The endothelial cells are less regular than in the other zones. Cilia are less frequent than in Zone II. Isolated trabecular cords and openings into subendothelial extensions of the trabecular meshwork are seen. In monkeys the cells of Zone I have no cilia and the cilia of Zone II are scarce. No or few Hassall‐Henle's warts were seen and there was no other feature to distinguish Zone III from Zone IV.